Dive into the world of Southern folklore with the latest details on South of Midnight, revealed during the Xbox Developer Direct 2025. Get the scoop on its release date and core gameplay mechanics right here.
Compulsion Games Invites You to South of Midnight
South of Midnight Narrative and Release Date
Compulsion Games writer and narrative designer Zaire Lanier shared an in-depth look at the story for the action-adventure game South of Midnight in a recent Xbox Wire article, confirming an April 8, 2025 release date. Located in the town of Prospero, the game showcases a variety of Southern-inspired settings—from waterlogged rural landscapes and murky swamps to Appalachian mountain ranges.
The story trailer opens with protagonist Hazel and her mother preparing for an approaching hurricane. After a tense disagreement, Hazel steps outside just in time to see her home swept away by a surging flood. Determined to find her missing mother, she embarks on a journey that unexpectedly leads her to uncover her true heritage—and into a magical realm teeming with beings straight out of Southern folklore.
“Hazel begins noticing supernatural phenomena all over Prospero,” Lanier explained. “She encounters Catfish, a massive talking creature stranded in a tree after the hurricane. Catfish reveals to Hazel that she is a Weaver—a person with magical abilities who can perceive and manipulate the threads that weave together the tapestry of fate.”
This meeting gives Hazel the power to see and weave the cosmic threads that connect everything. But her path is fraught with peril. She must face the Haints—corrupted beings that spread decay wherever they go. To restore balance, Hazel must harness her Weaving skills to cleanse these creatures and “return the area to reality.”
Begin your adventure through the American Deep South starting April 3, 2025, by purchasing the Premium Edition for $49.99 on Steam or the Xbox Store. The standard edition is priced at $39.99. Game Pass subscribers can also play on day one.
Gameplay Involves Threads and Weaving
South of Midnight centers on the use of threads—connections that form the tapestry of fate—and a unique form of magic known as Weaving. As Hazel encounters various Haints, she'll unlock new spells and combat abilities.
During the Xbox Developer_Direct 2025, game director Jasmin Roy broke down the combat system. "Push, Pull, and Weave are among the spells that give you a tactical edge in battle. Timing is crucial—pull distant foes into melee range, push them back to stun or interrupt their attack, then follow up with your own strikes."
Hazel wields a spindle, two weaving hooks, and a distaff—tools inspired by textile crafts and traditional spinning wheels. These allow for diverse movesets and strategies to confront Haints and cleanse their corruption.
Weaving isn't just for combat. By manipulating threads, Hazel can summon “past incarnations of objects” to solve puzzles and navigate the world. The Direct showed examples of this, including a ghostly carriage and a makeshift glider.
Hazel's quest takes her through diverse regions, each with its own distinctive theme and atmosphere. According to art director Whitney Clayton, each area is ruled by a "mythical creature with its own Southern Gothic history." One such being is Two-Toed Tom, a colossal albino alligator covered in weapons and overgrown flora.
To heal these corrupted creatures, Hazel needs to gather Echoes—fragments of haunted memories. But before she can restore them, she must first defeat each one in a dramatic boss encounter.
Exploring these vast lands and purging ancient beasts of their blight, Hazel will need every ounce of her Weaving power to rescue her mother and mend a broken world.
